Public Purse Or Doctors Purse; Is Patriotism Dead?

For the past few days, I've been occupied with thoughts over the recent strike declared by our country's essential service providers, thus; doctors and other medical professionals. For a second, the workable instinct in me has refused to accept the rationale of these decisions, and for that matter, I am captured still in soliloquy.

Acceptably, health is wealth, and for every nation to consolidate and grow in wealth, more investments must be made in the area of health provision. However, this necessity does not warrant needless and unreasonable investments.

Since the strike action by the doctors, I've consciously developed an analogy which ends with the question: "Who's the killer? ".

Assuming without admitting, that a doctor who work at the Korlebu Teaching Hospital in Accra have a stomach ulcer patient daughter who's schooling at Ghana Senior High School in Tamale and in the period of the Nationwide strike action, the daughter is attacked and needs emergency medical attention at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, and there's no doctor to take care of the her, which apparently leads to her death, who's the killer?

Of course, the doctor becomes the killer of his daughter.

Over the years, health service provision in Ghana has witnessed some significant improvement, with both investments in infrastructure as well as training of health personnel. Despite these strides, we still record an alarming rate of patients to a doctor ratio. Currently, the country records an unpalatable ratio of 1:10,452 and a nurse to patient ratio of 1:1,251. These numbers, as compared to the ratios of other nations, are much lower, and by far, needs an improvement.

Apart from the low doctor patient ratios, Ghana arguably spends a reasonable portion of her Gross Domestic Product on health. As at 2014, Ghana spent 5.39% of her GDP on health. This means that, even Agric and education, which to a large extent forms the bedrock of the country's economy, did not receive such huge investments as health. The amount so spent, excludes salaries and wages of health sector workers. Much of these investment was channeled into infrastructure provisions for new hospitals, upgrading of existing hospitals and bungalows for doctors.

Ghana is borne with an instance in which doctors receive more in salaries than any other public servant. This is reasonably so, because their services are considered as essential. Doctors are also trained for free in this country. As compared to the USA and other giant nations, there's a full time scholarship package for all medical students in Ghana. Under the circumstances, the medical profession has become very revered and attractive, and only few gets the opportunity to serve in this sector.

Ironically, these doctors who are known to be paid more and treated better, are the same people who recently declared an unconscious strike that has led to many deaths. Only God knows the number of deaths.

It would've been reasonable if the doctors were on strike for unpaid salaries or better still, salary adjustments. Confusingly, the doctors are asking for none of the above, but rather a proposed conditions of service. Accordingly, every employee deserve a well spelt out conditions of service, however, it is also agreeable, that a condition of service becomes reasonable only if it is favorable and acceptable to the employer. This is why there's always a room for negotiations by both an employer and employee.

In the case of the Ghanaian doctors, they declared a sit down strike just in the middle of an ongoing negotiation. I find it very unfortunate and untold!

By virtue of these happenings, I've measured the actions of the doctors as against PATRIOTISM and the only forgone conclusion is that, our doctors are a bunch of unpatriotic citizens. Milking our nation to monopolize and empty its purse is what they hold in thought.

As less endowed in natural resources as Cuba is, the country can boast of the most qualified doctors in the world and as a result of PATRIOTISM, Cuban doctors work in order nations just to serve their government and their people. Cuban doctors, despite their specialty and competence, are the less paid doctors as compared to Ghanaian doctors: Yet, they work under no conditions of service and have maintained the country on a ratio of 1:155 doctor patient ratio. One of the best in the world, even beating the US in this.

It seems our country is bereft of patriotism, making almost everybody an enemy of progress. A lot more need to be done. Our patriotism is dead.

To restore hope and confidence, I accept the proposals by Vincent Quagbenu to the effect that, our graduates must be made to undergo compulsory military disciplinary trainings. I am convinced, that this will imbibe some level of discipline and sanity into our people and awake in them, the lost patriotism. It's clear, that the most discipline and patriotic group of people in this country are the military.

Going forward, the government should take steps to put in place a law, that can ban health service providers from going on strike. This will prevent the needless deaths that are always caused, each time doctors go on strike.

Long live Ghana!

Abdul-Mumin Sofo Yumzaa

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